Missing Willow Farm

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We got our annual delivery of compost.  I think it’s about 2 tons worth.  We’ve already mixed it into our exterior raised beds, filled an empty interior greenhouse raised bed and stored as much of it as we could in bins and pots in the greenhouse for use later this season.  Those round pots are the size that full grown trees are sold in.  I think we’re all set!

Asparagus came early this year, but I’m not complaining!  By the time the Farmer’s Market opens next month it will probably all be gone.   More for us!   Bacon wrapped asparagus with Siracha dipping sauce.  Yum.

Beatrice says ‘hey’ as she heads to the sheep feeding pen for some grain.  Jenna brings up the rear those mornings that they need a little prompt.  The grass is growing again, so they don’t always notice when it’s feeding time.

We’ve been working a lot in the garden lately.  Jenna joins us and watches Brian work.  She’s so attached to him, he never leaves her sight.  I always know where he’s at in the yard by noticing where her gaze is focused.  She’s probably hoping they’ll go on an adventure together and doesn’t want to miss out.  She begrudgingly greets me first thing in the AM when we’re heading out to the pasture.  After that, it’s all about Brian.  I swear she watches to make sure he doesn’t float away.

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We had dinner two hours from here last night … so totally worth it!  We got invited to an evening of the celebrity chef tour, which is a fundraiser for the James Beard Foundation.  The first course was a beef dish prepared by Ashton Carter, the host chef.  Second course was duck heart prepared by Top Chef Masters contestant Jen Carroll.  Third course was a duo of lamb prepared by Top Chef Masters finalist Mike Isabella.  Next came a smoked trout salad from National Geographic fellow Barton Seaver.  Dessert was a play on french toast prepared by Next Great Baker winner Dana Herbert.  One of our most memorable meals ever!

http://bdtonline.com/local/x1437245134/Celebrity-chefs-prepare-distinct-dishes-for-good-cause

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Since we start our tomato and pepper seeds crazy early, we’ve been potting them up and storing them in the greenhouse until our last frost date.  It’s been so crazy warm lately, we really want to move them to the back deck for the season but have another 5 weeks until that’s safe.

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Our raised beds got weedy over the winter.  We had to hoe up the weeds, separate the plants and roots from the dirt then rake in some new soil.  We planted sugar snap, snow and shelling peas, two kinds of purple carrots, spinach and swiss chard.  The garlic we planted last October is looking fantastic.

Bottlefed as a lamb, Kat is always one of the first sheep to greet me when I come into the pasture.  She’s very chatty.   She doesn’t say baaa, she says maaa.  Often and loudly.   See how smooth she is?  She’s a hair sheep.  When the shearer comes in a week or two she’ll watch happily from the sidelines.

Jessica (our cow) and Milos (one of our karakachans) enjoy a springtime nap under a stand of trees.  He naps a lot during the day because he’s up at night keeping everyone safe.  His sister FiFi is a little wary of Jessica, I’m sure it’s because of her size.  Milos keeps her in line, he doesn’t let her bully anyone.  They obviously are comfortable around each other.

Lambs love to play by butting heads.  So do the kids.  The sheep kind of grow out of it but will still use their heads to protect themselves.  We still see our grown goats challenging each other on occasion for no apparent reason.  Maybe it’s just for fun… like when they were kids.